Disclaimer: in no way is this
post trying to make light of such a serious concern like concussions. In
all my years of playing ice hockey, lacrosse, et cetera, or basically any place I could potentially get hurt, I don’t ever recall experiencing a week quite like this: where I felt so minuscule, so restless, and so lonely. Although, through being sat about basically avoiding the world so to not aggravate my condition it has made me realise and/or take
note of a few things. If this comes across as tasteless… well, minimal apologies. Being an exceptionally active
person like myself, I found it truly difficult to entertain myself from bed for 5 days—or if you look at it from a writer's perspective, I write about everything. :D
Thus,
The following are the top 10 things I’ve learnt the past week whilst
slumbering and whinging away inside my dark bedroom, which has finally stopped spinning(!). My
motor skills on the other hand, typing especially, may have taken a small hit:
1) I highly advise against slamming the back of your head on the ice—but
if you’re going to do it at least make it worthwhile, like I should have scored. But to be fair, its all almost avoidable, like: don’t trip over the person who has just fallen in front of you. Common sense things, he says. In hindsight, I probably should've gone glove side instead of blocker, but I'm flashy, evident by my love of going to the backhand on breakaways.
2) Having a professor of athletic training (a “physio” for all you Brits as I was told 'don't tell her I'm lazy'; it took me two days to understand why they said that) as a mother is the best thing ever… would be even better if she weren’t
4000+ miles away.
3) It just means you have to show her that you can do a number of squats without
getting light-headed through FaceTime. A genius invention these webcams. Keep the door closed so you don't look foolish. She'll ask things like, what did the hospital tell you?, what medicine are you taking?, how is your appetite?, and then use a gigantic word to describe it all. No room for "how many fingers?" here.
4) Living near a hospital is both a blessing and a curse. The blessing: didn’t have to
go far to get checked out (although A&E
weren’t too pleased when I mentioned the head injury occurred last Friday night sometime
after 11pm, not that [Thursday] morning at 11am); the curse: constant sirens throughout the night
are not the one because…
5) I’m apparently noise sensitive. Not so much light sensitive, except
first thing in the morning when I make myself stumble into the door. Good thing I didn't pick the sunniest week in Manchester to have a concussion or anything. Places to
avoid: public transportation, the kitchen, my room when the guy next door
decides it’s time to finally clean his garden, my room when the guy next door
decides to run his machine saw, my room when a giant fly is buzzing
about (see no. 9). Sorry I couldn't make the Liverpool night out Ste.
6) A meal is best served half-prepared for you already. For example: buy the Morrison's pepperoni pizza, then just cook your chicken, slice the peppers, throw it all on top, then place it
in the oven. Cut out the middle man as it were (see no. 5, places to avoid). Or
just order takeaway.
7) This has been the first week since injuring my knee way back when in April
2013 where I have been off it pretty much completely… that is if you overlook the 14
mile round trip walk I did to see Le Tour this past Sunday. So this is a, "two birds with one stone" sort of thing, I guess. MY KNEE FEELS GREAT(ish). Meaning, injuries are good at resting other injuries?
8) Chris Froome has now made my boring days far more so since
abandoning due to injury on stage 5, and daytime television is taking a hit
because the latest season of MTV’s Ex onthe Beach has concluded so what is there to watch now? PS: I forgave Chris Froome and when did Vicky Pattison lose all that weight?
9) My mother gave me a “DAMMIT DOLL” as a present this past Christmas, as a
joke I think. Though, I believe it is her favourite word. That or ffff—“we now
return you to your regularly scheduled programme”. Well, dammit, that thing has
come in handy. I have been on a moth and fly killing spree due to being “noise
sensitive” (see no. 5, places to avoid).
10) Saturday = sturdy and Sunday = surnsday (ß … or something close
to that). I think my texts have been pretty coherent, but sometimes I just
forget about the spacebar altogether, or what might look right to me may actually be gibberish. This is the motor skill of which I eluded to earlier. Made a blunder typing "integrate" instead of "interrogate" the other night... big difference really.
Honourable mention: sternocleidomastoid, my glasses make me feel ill, I wouldn’t have made it through this ordeal without Mr Bear and/or waking up to his ear in my mouth, no matter how many times you watch the final play in Friday Night Lights, Mike Winchell is always going to be about a foot short, “I-right, wiggle 34 switchblade, for the state championship”, there are some who don’t believe that Arthur is an aardvark.
I'm sure there are ten better things, I just can't remember them.
Honourable mention: sternocleidomastoid, my glasses make me feel ill, I wouldn’t have made it through this ordeal without Mr Bear and/or waking up to his ear in my mouth, no matter how many times you watch the final play in Friday Night Lights, Mike Winchell is always going to be about a foot short, “I-right, wiggle 34 switchblade, for the state championship”, there are some who don’t believe that Arthur is an aardvark.
I'm sure there are ten better things, I just can't remember them.
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Edit note: Proofread this sucker as best as possible... Things have come in sort of stages, though the headaches have been a bit constant. Today (Saturday) was the first day where I had a bit of a "memory glitch" when I tried to remember something about yesterday. Life and anxiously awaiting my return to physical activity.
